Brooke Boyer '26
Staff Editor
On Wednesday, September 27, Office of Private Practice counselors Marit Slaughter ’09 and Lauren Parker ’08 gave a fun (yes, fun!) presentation on employer interactions. Through skits and illustrative examples, they turned the daunting process of learning about everything from emailing to networking into a lighthearted experience.
Email etiquette and digital footprint
Parker began the presentation where many law students first start interacting with employers: emailing. As unfortunate as it may be for many future Gen Z lawyers, “Email is the language of your chosen profession. It is not texting, it is not ‘insta,’ it is not TikTok,” she said. Because of this, learning how to appropriately write and respond to emails is an essential skill for interacting with firms. To cover the basics, emails have salutations, signatures, and complete, typo-free sentences.
Even when some emails don’t seem to require a response, it is important to thoroughly read the message in order to figure out whether one is expected. Parker suggests getting into the habit of skimming every email, responding if necessary within 24 hours, and separating them into specific folders.
While tone via email can be tricky, it is important to keep in mind that employers can often sense when an email implies an entitled, pushy, or lazy tone. To illustrate this, Slaughter gave examples of common emails students send and Parker then interpreted them as what the firm actually hears. For example, one common email is, “Dear recruiter, I recently applied to your firm. Please send me a status report at your earliest convenience.” According to Parker, what the firm hears is, “Dear recruiter, I am really important. My time is more valuable than yours, and I would like information. Get it to me.” While the email of course did not explicitly say those words, they were implied in the student’s impatient tone. To avoid this pitfall, simply err on the side of showing more gratitude rather than less.
It’s also important to maintain a clean digital presence because employers will be doing their research before hiring someone. Parker recommends Googling yourself and asking: “Do I want employers to see this about me or to see me this way?” With this in mind, maybe the time has finally come to delete that video of you beerbonging at a college party three years ago.
The nuts and bolts of networking
Slaughter prefaced the discussion on networking by saying, “It is a marathon, not a sprint.” It requires taking many, many baby steps rather than large leaps. There are a few primary goals of networking. One goal is to learn things, such as what makes people like a particular practice and what skills it entails. Next, one must be able to articulate their interest in a particular practice and come across as professional and likable in the interview room. Finally, networking serves as practice for forming relationships with future clients. According to Slaughter, networking is a practiced and learnable skill, and the Office of Private Practice has resources on their webpage for students to find strategies that suit them best.
To show the difference between effective and ineffective networking, Slaughter, playing the interviewee, and Parker, playing the interviewer, performed yet another skit. When Parker said, “Tell us a little bit about why you want to work in New York,” Slaughter first responded, “I mean – why NOT New York?” This response is unsurprisingly unlikely to impress an interviewer. “I hear that it’s a great city, and just a place I’ve always wanted to spend time,” is also a less than compelling response. However, Slaughter improved her response by citing the “fast-paced nature of the city” and wanting to be “at the epicenter of the corporate world” to compliment her interest in transactional work as specific reasons motivating her to choose New York City.
Additionally, mastering the handshake is a critical part of the networking process. Parker recommends a firm grip, a couple of shakes, and maintaining eye contact. Importantly, the other hand should not be participating in any way, shape, or form.
Since 1L year is busy, amid maintaining good grades and meeting classmates, while still adjusting to the Law School environment, Slaughter says to let the firms come to you. Participating in events hosted at UVA Law is the easiest way to begin the networking process. Over winter break, though, getting coffee or lunch with employers is more typical. Firms will also host “home for the holidays” events, so keep an eye out for those.
Dress for success
After learning how to act professionally, one has to learn how to dress professionally. It can be difficult to determine what to wear to an event due to the emergence of confusing new styles, like smart casual (?). If a dress code is provided for an event, it is best to follow it. If not, Parker suggests that the best bet is to wear a suit off Grounds and “nice student attire” on Grounds. Also, as a general rule for Zoom meetings, don’t skip the pants.
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